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Hi Tom

 

I'd not worry too much about being a rookie - there's a lot to be said with coming to photography with a fresh 'unschooled' approach, OK? Without knowing what your aim with this shot was it's a little hard to give any steers. However, if I start with how the picture feels to me and give you a few thoughts that might help. Remember though, as with all such sites, what you'll mostly get is opinion - it's up to you whether you take it on board or not. Ok, shots like this give the eye lots of easy ways to test horizontals and verticals - a bit like a crooked picture on a wall - dead easy to see. So anytime I'm tackling a strong geometrical shape like this I either skew the whole thing deliberately (end of problem) to introduce some tension, or if it's going to be 'square on' like this one - I make sure my lines are straight. Here you've got a tendency for the horizontals to converge towards the left (look at the slight downward slope of the roofline and incline upward in the kerb) like the crooked picture on a wall it's a distraction. That's one I always try and watch out for. The other thing I'd say is that the stark feeling of this 'block' contrasts with the soft sky details and the fuzzy horizon caused by the trees; I'd have posssibly crouched a little here to shift the far horizon down a bit and make the block look even more dominating - again, it all depends on what you want to do with it. Best advice I can truely give is keep hitting that shutter - photograph anything that moves, and if it doesn't move - roll it down a hill! Have fun and welcome to one of the finest hobbies going.

Hi Daren

I like the shot. A few thoughts - a real shame that the licence plate is required to be displayed that way - much as I love the picture it's an eyesore (generally and photographically) the Alfa has a beautiful front end! I may have been tempted to photoshop that out if I could. The orientation of the car is spot on as it nicely balances the skyline and contrail angling down to the right of the shot. I may have gone for a little extra saturation. Really nice shot - but I think I'd take a screwdriver, remove the plate and shoot again! :-)

Really nice set of textures, tones, and geometry at work here. I was initially uncertain about the pose - but it's grown on me. Nice work

Bravo, Maurizio!

Hi Sean

 

I'll declare myself no expert right up frant and get that out of the way. This means that what follows is opinion - to begin with, good on you for giving a tough subject area a go. Now, there are two key areas where I think you've lost ground, so let's look at those. The shot is over-lit so you've lost a sense of texture and tonal range around the model's torso. I also have a sense (possibly mistaken) that the model is trying to maintain a very 'flat' gaze. She's an attractive young woman and I have no trouble imagining a range of facial expression other than the one we see here.

If you and I were planning the shot together with the model I'd be pushing for some side lighting for a start; she's got a good facial structure and if we were not unkind to her facial skin texture she'd look great, and this would offer the opportunity to have her tense her stomach slightly to add some form. I'd want us to rethink the pose - the open pants and hands to the side suggest a submissive aspect. Cover all but her face and ask yourself how submissive she looks - frankly she looks like she has tons of moxie. So, if it's attitude we want - if you're gonna be a bear - be a grizzly! Mess up her hair lean her shoulders in to the camera and encorage her to play with the scenario. The diagonal works there too with a bit of tension. However, if it's submissive we're going for, drop her eyes, part her lips slightly and again talk her through a range of poses and and the mood you're striving for. I think there's a lot that can be done with this woman (no pun intended) and the best you can do is shoot, shoot, shoot. It wouldn't hurt to have a nose through some portfolios here such as John Peri, Niko Guido, Igor Amelkovich - look at how they've lit and posed their models and try a couple of copy-cat efforts. I'd be wanting the model to see how good she could look - that'll bring some magic out in her too. Hope this helps a little.

 

Cheers

Christine - for my money you've achieved something special here. I've nothing to suggest that would be useful to you - just wanted to express my admiration for a well-executed and original shot.

Thanks for taking the time to view my work

Lively, well executed, original in concept - I burn with envy! Bravo!

Nicely done! I'm really impressed by the way you've held the colours together - excellent control. Bravo!

Thanks for viewing my work

Stunning! Really well executed and good subject.

One of two on this subject posted to the site. Thanks for viewing my

work

This bus stop is becoming worth staking out, this is not the first

shot I've had here. The Hurricanes warned about are the local rugby

team. Thanks for viewing my work

Thanks for viewing my work

Thanks for viewing my work. Colour's not usually my first choice so

I'll be particularly grateful for any insights.

Hi John

 

Cars are not something I'd make big claims for myself over (although I've had a crack at them more recently). The only suggestion I'd make is that a little judicious photoshopping or in-camera exposure might help - I find the vague sense of mechanical detail behind the bumper cutaway distracting; it doesn't look 'juicy' enough to be interesting in the way that billet parts or supercharger belts etc can be. You've got a soft sheen across the bonnet and then . . . were it mine I'd probably darken that area out, see if I could ditch the white lines on the seal, and perhaps saturate the green and maybe drop the lighting a tad. I think I am familiar with the model of car and there are a number of angles that suggest themselves to make the most of it - judging by the reflections in the headlight ring, you may have been more concerned with how to keep unwanted stuff out of the shot. A final thought - most car owners are keen for pics of their toys, you might try seeing if a car that catches your eye has an owner prepared to allow a special shoot - that way you get more control. I hope all this helps.

Pigeons have a way of bringing heroes down a peg or two. Shot in New

York a couple of years back. Thanks for taking the trouble to view

my work

Thanks for viewing my work. If you like this shot I recommend

viewing Clive Fox's version

Hi Clive

 

Many thanks for your comments on my pics. I've shot this from about the same spot (in fact it looks as though we have similar shooting interests in many ways) - gotta say, I think yours is the better shot of the two. The rain for atmosphere and the people for scale. Nicely shot.

Hi, thanks for the comment. Nope, it's in NY just across from Saint Paddy's. The light effect on the stonework is intentional - just one of those things you can hum and haw about - in the end it felt right so I just went with it. Cheers

I wanted to shoot something other than the standard Notre Dame shot

from the south bank. The woman reading or eating her lunch caught my

eye and I was drawn to the peace in the scene (especially compared to

the pandemonium out front where the tour buses disgorged their

cargo). Thanks for taking the trouble to view my work

Hi Ingrid, hmmm . . . tough call. It depends on what you/he are trying to portray. If it's 'photo-real' shots that sell by being an accurate depiction of the knives, then I'd say you're doing ok; for example I might emphasize the side-lighting a touch more in the shot above, but that's just playing around the edges (no pun intended). If, on the other hand, we start playing with why people buy knives from a craftsman cutler - that's a different story. For instance, let's assume that your husband's name and quality are understood - then you can afford to get a little more creative - maybe a sepia tone and shot against an old advert for Winchester or something like that speaks differently about old-time values, craftsmanship, the frontier spirit, etc - a rusty hurrican lamp would help a bit. If it were in black micarta and satin-finish stainless with a modern blade shape - grab a slate tile, coat it with cooking oil (I kid thee not) spray with a windex bottle and go for a 'caving' (I think Americans call it spelunking - there's an elegant word for you) look - maybe throw a head torch slightly out-of-focus in the back of the shot. In other words, tell a tale. Personally, I think I'd be encouraged to think about what the different tools he makes say to the buyers/collectors and ask myself what imagery I could afford to play around with. It's a first class area to be doing work around (I mean . . . imagine if he made wooden spoons) and I'd be coming up with some variants to show him and see what he can cope with. Hope that helps and I hope I get to see some more creative shots (as in less 'real')from you on these pages. Happy snappin'

Thanks for viewing my work.

Bravo. Good idea, the effects are well done, so they're more a matter of taste than anything but in this case they add to the creation of an interesting shot froma reasonably ordinary subject. Good stuff.